5. Grom Hellscream
Grom Hellscream is my favorite Blizzard character of all time and absolutely deserves to become a Hero in the Nexus. My memories go all the way back to Warcraft 2, where he first made an appearance as your standard orc, ferociously cutting down his foes and vying for dominance against the Alliance. In Warcraft 3, he assumed a more personal storyline as best friend and advisor to the Warchief of the Horde, Thrall. After an ill-fated meeting with Mannoroth, Grom and his faction drank the Pit Lord’s blood and were infused with demonic powers. On a personal journey to save his friend, Thrall risked everything to reclaim Grom’s soul and restore him before confronting Mannoroth in a final showdown. Grom traded his life to kill Mannoroth, but he and his orc brethren were freed from the Pit Lord’s spell.
His legendary axe, Gorehowl, is one of the most iconic weapons in Blizzard lore, and would be easily recognizable for Heroes of the Storm players. I remember him primarily as a blademaster from Warcraft 3, but Grom has tons of potential as a melee bruiser similar to Thrall. To keep the lines from getting blurred between the two orcs, I think Blizzard could incorporate a rage mechanic for Grom that would allow him to do extra damage or attack faster at full rage—instead of a sustain bruiser, he would be more of a tempo bruiser. One of Grom’s Heroics could be to throw Gorehowl, dealing damage in a line before landing in a target area and dealing massive AoE damage. After throwing his axe, he’d be defenseless for X seconds or until he could recover it.
After the introduction of his son Garrosh into the Warcraft universe, it’s unlikely that Blizzard will make Grom a playable character in Heroes of the Storm, especially since it would be impossible for Grom and Garrosh to share Gorehowl properly in the future. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful that my favorite Hero of all time will show up in the Nexus. What about you? What are your favorites?
